Articles 2

In Articles 1 we looked at the 3 golden rules of articles: 1. Peoples jobs have a/an. Hes an architect. 2. Singular countable nouns have an article. Thats the woman I met last week. 3. Things in general no article. Cats like mice. Here we look at some other rules for the use of articles. Special places

My sons at university but my daughter still goes to school. He was sent to prison for 10 years. Now that winters here I find it difficult to get out of bed. I go to work by bus but I go home on foot.

In expressions with a number of places there is no article after a preposition. These places include: to/at school, to/at university/college, to/in church, to/in/out of prison, to/in hospital, to/in/out of bed, to/at work, at home. NOTE: While we say go to school and go to work etc, the expression go home has neither the nor to. Transport

I go to work by bus but I go home on foot. I hate travelling by train.

Modes of transport (by bus, by train, by car, by plane, by bicycle) dont have an article. Notice that on foot is different. Geography No article continents (Africa, Asia etc.) countries (France, Germany, Slovakia etc - but the Slovak Republic, the United States, the United Kingdom) towns & cities (Bratislava, London etc.) lakes (Lake Victoria, Lake Balaton etc.) universities (Oxford University, Nitra University etc.) With the seas & oceans (the Atlantic, the Mediterranean etc.) mountain ranges (the Himalayas, the Tatras) rivers (the Amazon, the Danube etc.) Other expressions

I dont watch television very often but I listen to the radio all the time.

Ive got a headache. Ive got a stomach-ache Ive got a cold.

BUT

Ive got flu. Ive got earache. Ive got toothache.

Other illnesses have no article.